


and death has no dominion

by VeryImportantDemon



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Child Gamora, F/M, Gen, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter is just a child let him live, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Soul Stone (Marvel), Thanos is a dick but what else is new, Thanos is mentioned, Titan, Wanda Maximoff Needs a Hug, major infinity war spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-04-30 13:11:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14497704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VeryImportantDemon/pseuds/VeryImportantDemon
Summary: Peter wakes up. He isn’t dead, which is surprising. It also isn’t surprising that he has no idea where he is or how to get back to the wherever he came from. Or Earth, that would be good, too. He’s hopeful that with the help of the people he meets in this strange place that he’ll be able to get there.





	1. PART I

**Author's Note:**

> Another WIP... Tags will be updated with each chapter.

The first thing Peter heard after he disintegrated was a woman screaming, but she didn’t sound like a woman. She sounded so scared, so broken, that she sounded like a little girl. He was so confused, still so terrified by what had just happened, that her screams blurred together with the last thing he remembered Mr. Stark saying – you're alright, you're alright, you're alright. He couldn't place the voice and he couldn't open his eyes, either. All he could really do was listen to her screaming.

He tried to wonder why he wasn't dead, but he couldn't bring himself to care about that too much when he was presented with so much pain. It wasn't his pain, though. He felt nothing, not even numb. It was the woman's pain. He didn't know where he was, didn't know what was happening at all, but all he knew was that this woman was hurting more than anyone ever should. Her screams were guttural, nonverbal, but Peter could almost make out a name amid them.

Peter wanted to do something, wanted to wake up and comfort this woman and understand what had happened and why he had been taken, but he couldn't do anything as the darkness closed in again.

\--

It wasn't too much longer before Peter woke up again. At least he didn't think it was too much longer. He didn't feel like he'd been asleep that long. This time, he could open his eyes. The first thing he saw was the sky. It wasn't Earth's sky, wasn't bright blue and dotted with puffy white clouds and the tops of New York city skyscrapers. It was Titan's sky. His heart dropped and his chest tightened. So all of that had actually happened. Thanos had really happened. It wasn't a dream. He really had... Died.  
It pained him to even think the word died. When Quill, Mantis, Drax, and Doctor Strange had disintegrated in front of them, Peter realized that there was a very real possibility that he would die, too. He couldn't be blamed for panicking because he was just a kid. He'd made a beeline straight for the only person there he really trusted – Tony Stark. In the end, he tried to put on a brave face for Mr. Stark, but he was still scared. The word died still scared him.

Suddenly, he sat up straight. If he was still on Titan, if he was still conscious, he couldn't have died. But he seemed to be alone. If he wasn't really dead, where was Mr. Stark? Where was everyone else who had disappeared right in front of them? What was going on?

Peter clambered to his feet, wincing and stumbling slightly. Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. His chest tightened again. He didn’t want to be alone. He wanted Mr. Stark, his aunt May, Karen, someone. Anyone. He needed someone.

But Karen. Karen. “Karen,” he said suddenly. Maybe she still worked, wherever they were. He was still wearing his suit. Well, the Iron Spider suit. He hoped it was still equipped to talk to Karen.

“Peter, what can I do for you?” the automated female voice said in his ear. Peter almost burst into tears when he heard her. She was just a computer program and he knew that, but hearing a familiar voice in the midst of this shitshow was comforting.

“I have never been more glad to hear someone’s voice in my entire life,” Peter said seriously. “Karen, what happened? Where am I?” The air was silent for a few moments after he spoke. Finally, Karen spoke up again.

“I do not know, Peter. All of my functions not directly tied to the workings of the Iron Spider suit do not seem to be working.” Peter let out a sharp breath. So once again, he was screwed. He was screwed and alone God knows where. He was either on Titan by himself and Tony Stark died too or he was in some sort of twisted afterlife. Neither of those options were very pleasing.

“Thanks for trying,” Peter said, his voice trembling slightly. He sank down to the ground, burying his face in his hands. He didn’t know what to do. All he had wanted to do was help Mr. Stark save the world and go on to be the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man again. But instead he was trillions and trillions of miles away from home. His shoulders shook and he started to sob, pulling his knees up and resting his forehead on them, hugging his legs. “I want to go home,” he cried. “I want to go home…”

Peter almost missed the voice that spoke to him next. “I know the feeling,” the feminine voice said. He almost thought it was Karen, but the voice wasn’t British. It had a different sort of accent. He lifted his head immediately, sniffling and not bothering to wipe his tears.

“Who’s there?” he said, trying to be as intimidating as he could which wasn’t very. “Who’s there?” There was the crunching of boots stepping on gravel beside him and when he turned his head, he saw her. Her hair was more orange now than the last time he saw her and by the look in her eyes, she had aged years. The Scarlet Witch had only seen when Mr. Stark brought him to Germany to fight. She wasn’t alone, either. The tall, red one with the yellow gem in his forehead was there. What was his name… Vision. It was Vision. He hadn’t seen either of them in a really long time. “Oh,” he said softly. He tried to scramble to his feet before she stopped him with a slight shake of her head, taking a seat beside him on the rough ground. Vision stood next to her, watching the pair with interested eyes.

“I lost my home once,” she said. “It is in Scotland now, but I do not even know if that is there now.” Peter looked up at her, swallowing hard. He opened his mouth to speak but before he did, the android sat down next to the Scarlet Witch.

“She used to say that I was her home because I could phase and follow her anywhere,” he said. Scarlet Witch looked up at him and smiled sadly.

“You could follow me anywhere but where I needed you to follow me the most,” she said. The android shrugged slightly before he addressed her once more.

“But then I followed you here, as well,” he pointed out. She smiled at him, taking one of his hands and squeezing in gently before she shifted her gaze to Peter.

“Where is your home?” she said.

Peter hardly needed a moment to think about that. “Queens,” he said. “I live in an apartment with my aunt May. She was still expecting me to get off the bus…” He faltered when he thought about her. She knew he was Spider-Man after The Incident, but when he never got off the bus at the apartment and it was all over the news that Tony Stark was missing? She must have suspected. She would be waiting for him forever because it seemed he was never coming back. He sniffled again, shaking his head slightly.   
They were both quiet for a long time and Peter got the sense they were both mourning something, but what she was missing he didn’t know.

After a few beats of silence, Peter spoke again. “What’s your actual name?” he said. “The only time we ever met was during that battle and we were both a little preoccupied… Didn’t have time to ask it.” Scarlet Witch hummed slightly, dipping her head towards him.

“Wanda,” she said. “I used to be Wanda Maximoff, but that name died with a younger me a long time ago.” Peter nodded.

“Cryptic,” he said. “But alright. What about your boyfriend, the Kool-Aid man over here? He’s the Vision, right?” The android in question blinked before he answered.

“Yes, that is my name. I am the Vision. And you are Peter Parker. You were on Mr. Stark’s side during the conflict.” Peter almost laughed at the Vision’s choice of words. Conflict. That was definitely one way to describe it.

“Do either of you know where we are?” Peter asked. “I just…” He looked at his hands, turning them over to examine his palms like he was shocked they were still there. In a way, he was. “The last thing I remember was being here on Titan with, um… With Mr. Stark and the wizard and a few others. Then I sort of…” He waved his hand to represent disintegration, or whatever had happened to them. “Yeah,” he finished. “That. Then I woke up here.” He didn’t mention the woman crying, but he didn’t think he needed to. Wanda knew.

“The same thing happened to me,” she said. “I was on Earth. I woke up here.” Peter glanced over at Vision was sitting up straight, like very proper. Even though he wasn’t, there was something very human about him.

“Did the same thing happen to you?” he asked him. Vision made eye contact with Peter before he spoke.

“Thanos,” He said simply. Wanda seemed to get very upset at the mention of Thanos. Understandably so, Peter imagined. He himself wasn’t overly fond of the Mad Titan at the moment after what had happened.

“Do not speak of him,” Wanda said sharply. “I do not even want to hear his name anymore.” She shook her head, clasping her hands tightly in her lap. Vision nodded slightly but Peter frowned.

“Did you ever read this kinda old book series called Harry Potter?” Peter asked. “The first book came out right before I was born.”

Wanda hesitated. “I did not have much time for leisure reading when I was a girl,” she said. “How are these books relevant?”

Peter forged onward, intent upon making this comparison. “Well, in one of the books, one of the characters says fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself. He already took…” Peter faulted, but after a few moments’ pause he spoke again. He needed to say this. He needed to make this true, even if it was hard. “He already took so much. I don’t want to give him the satisfaction of me being afraid of his name, too.”

The Scarlet Witch tilted her head slightly, her brow furrowed as she listened to Peter speak. “You may think like that,” she said, “but after everything he had done to me… His name should be feared.” Peter let out a slight puff of air before he spoke again.

“You make a good point,” Peter said. “To each his own, then. Agree to disagree. It seems we’re stuck… Wherever we are together. We may be here awhile. It would be smart to get along.”  
Wanda agreed after a beat. “Yes, it would,” she said. “Who knows how long we will be here. Perhaps… Perhaps forever.”

Vision didn’t sigh even, even though he looked like he might. “I am glad to be with you here. Here at the end of all things,” he said. Peter smiled faintly at the quip.

“Hopefully,” he said, “this isn’t the end.” 


	2. PART II

“In all seriousness,” Peter said after they had spent a few moment basking in how profound his statement had been, “does anyone actually know what happened? What did Thanos do? Mr. Stark and the magician wouldn’t tell me if they knew.” Wanda winced when he said the name, shaking her head slightly.

“He did it,” Wanda said, carefully saying he instead of Thanos. “He finally did it. Collected all the stones, and…” Snap echoed off the shells of old spaceships as Vision clicked his fingers. Peter stiffened at the noise. It was very final. “He snapped his fingers,” Wanda said. “He snapped his fingers and we all turned to dust.” Peter swallowed again. So that was what happened.

“That’s what he wanted,” he said quietly. “He wanted the Infinity Stones to…” He faltered and Vision nodded.

“To halve the universe,” the android finished.

Peter let the gravity of that sink in for a few moments before he spoke again. “That’s a stupid plan,” he said. Wanda almost smiled, her lips twitching slightly. Vision almost smiled, too.

“You know, you are right,” she said. “It is a very stupid plan. I don’t understand – I can never understand – why he would want to do that.”

Peter swallowed slightly while she spoke, leaning forward and hugging his legs to his chest. He rested his chin on his knees, thinking. Thanos. He couldn’t believe that someone would want to do that. Someone would want to kill half of the population of the entire universe. To think Peter had been that close to that kind of genocidal maniac. To think Peter had touched him. Peter shuddered at the thought. “If we’re not dead,” he said finally, “then we need to find a way to get back to the others. Get back to Earth. Someone there will have to know where Thanos went, and half the planet has to be there, at least, right? Someone will know what to do.”

Wanda hummed slightly. “I suppose that is a good plan,” she said. “Get back to Earth. But it isn’t much of a plan. How do you plan to do that?”

Peter paused again, clearing her throat. “I hadn’t gotten that far,” he said honestly. “Get back to Earth was the first thing that came to mind, honestly.” Vision listened intently, the yellow gem on his forehead flickering slightly in Titian’s dim light.

“Perhaps,” he began, “we ought to start by seeking out anyone else who may be here. If the pair of you are here, then there may be more. And some of them may know where we are and how to return to Earth.”

“I like the way you think, Mr. Roboto,” Peter said. Vision frowned slightly at him.

“That is not my name,” he said. “But you are one of Mr. Stark’s entourage so I will assume that it is a pop culture reference I have not expended the processing power to understand.”

For the first time in what felt like a very long time, Peter actually laughed. It wasn’t a belly laugh and it wasn’t anything huge. It was more of a chuckle than anything, but he laughed. “I think I’m gonna like you, Vizh,” he said, releasing his tight hold on his legs slightly. “Can I call you Vizh?”

“I suppose,” he said. Vision inclined his head towards Wanda. “She called me that.”

So, they have couple-y nicknames for each other, Peter thought. It was kind of adorable, he had to admit, even though they were a bit of an unlikely couple. He wanted them to be happy, but then again, Peter was that kind of guy. He just wanted people to be happy. Unless they were assholes like Thanos. In that case, he didn’t care at all.

“To infinity and beyond, I guess?” Peter suggested. “We might as well get started. From white I saw of it, Titan is…” Peter finally released his grip on his legs and gestured with one hand to the sprawling, dark, mostly empty space surrounding them.

“Big,” Wanda surmised. Peter agreed. It was big. Very, very big. And it was a whole planet! An entire planet that wasn’t Earth they had to explore. Peter could only get around Queens, let alone the rest of Earth, let alone a whole other planet.

Vision rose to his feet and extended his hand to help him up. Peter was about to take it when Wanda did instead, squeezing it and letting him help her to her feet. Peter pretended to look hurt. “I see how it is,” he said, popping to his feet. “Playing fav-“

Peter’s voice was cut off when there was a loud thunk coming from the wreckage of one of the ships behind them. Immediately, all three of them swiveled around and faced the source of the sound. “Was that-“ Peter was cut off again, this time by Vision.

“It was not any of us,” he said. Wanda stepped forward curiously, scarlet smoke beginning to gather at her fingertips.

“There is someone else here,” she said, her gaze fixed on the direction the noise had come from. She started towards it quickly, her small frame eating up the ground. Vision simply phased out of existence and phased again, reappearing at her side. Peter, on the other hand, jogged to catch up to them.

“Slow down, slow down,” Peter said. He scrambled a little to get to her and eventually caught up, needing to speed walk to stay there. “Guys, slow down!” Wanda shook her head, pacing forward anyway.

“We do not have time to walk slow,” Wanda said. Peter huffed, picking up his speed again to keep up with her. She walked very, very fast for someone that short. Peter barely stayed at her heels as they approached the half donut of the destroyed ship.

Another loud thud echoed as they walked. Well, Wanda walked. Vision hovered and Peter ran to keep up. It sounded deliberate, like someone had thrown something, not like the ship was just falling apart. There was someone in there who didn’t care to be heard. Peter’s heart started beating quicker. He didn’t know if the fact that whoever was throwing things around didn’t mind being found was a good thing or a bad thing. “Hey, guys,” he said, stopping. “This could be a trap.”

Wanda paused and turned slightly, her orange hair shifting on her back and her scarlet smoke still swirling around her fingers. “Have we anything to lose?” she said. “He has taken everything from us, Peter. I wouldn’t care even if it was a trap.” Peter hesitated when she spoke. She did make a good point. It wasn’t like they had anything left to lose. He shook his head slightly, not speaking again before he plowed onward.

Pausing at the edge of the semicircle of wreckage, they heard another solid thump and then the clanging of metal echoing around them. Peter stiffened at the noise, but he was brave. He was an Avenger. He wasn’t afraid of a little noise. Wanda had forged forward before he even had a chance to ask who was going first. “Ladies first, I guess,” he mumbled under his breath. He scrambled after her, Vision following slightly ahead of him. Peter ducked for the first cover he could find when they heard another thud and a clang, his muscles tightening. Wanda, however, did not. “Wanda!” he hissed. “It could be Th-“

But it wasn’t Thanks. It wasn’t even close to Thanos. The source of the noise was a little girl. She was sitting on the edge of a half-destroyed deck, swinging her legs. Beside her, a pile of rocks was stacked up very precisely. She reached a small, green hand out and picked one up, turning it over in her hands. After thoroughly examining it, she tossed it over the edge of the deck, watching as it smacked against the side, the sound of stone against metal a lot louder here. She picked up another rock and threw it but before it hit the ground, it froze in mid-air, Wanda’s scarlet smoke suspending it. Peter swiveled his head immediately trying to find his new friend. He had been so preoccupied watching the girl that he hadn’t thought much about what Wanda was doing. Her right hand was out, palm facing her with her elbow bent, and only her index fingers curled slightly in the air. The rock was nothing to her. She waved her hand and it went soaring away, flying so far the clang was practically inaudible.

“Who are you?” Wanda said threateningly. “Have you been here the whole time?” The little girl shrugged, still swinging her legs. She didn’t seem to care at all when Wanda advanced angrily, the scarlet smoke swirling and gathering around the Scarlet Witch.

“I just got here,” the girl said. “I was called away, so I had to go. I don’t like it here much. Do you?”

Peter finally regained his senses, rising to his feet. “Hey, Wanda,” he said. “Back down. She’s just a kid.” Vision drifted nearer to her, studying the little girl sitting before them.

“She does appear to be nothing for than a child,” he said. “One of another species, but a child nonetheless.” He put a hand on her shoulder, the simple gesture causing Wanda to loosen up. She hesitated, glancing back at the little girl as if debating whether or not to speak.

“I do not care if she is a child,” Wanda said, her expression still harsh. “I do not trust her. Surely we would have heard her if she had been here this whole time, but we did not! And how did she get here without us knowing? I do not trust her.” Wanda turned to face the little girl again, her arms crossed. “You didn’t answer my first question,” she said threateningly.

Peter finally left his hiding place, approaching the little girl. “Hey, it’s cool,” he said. “As long as this isn’t a trap, she won’t hurt you. What’s your name?” She hesitated, glancing up at Peter.

“Gamora,” she said. She scooted back from the edge until her legs were straight out in front of her. She drew them in, her hands on her knees as she rose to her feet. Facing him, she tilted her head slightly. “What’s your name?”

“Peter,” he said, smiling faintly even though he could sense Wanda’s anger behind him. “But some people call me Spider-Man.”

Gamora focused her attention on examining Peter. She rocked back and forth from her heels to her toes a few times before she spoke again. “You don’t look like a Spider-Man,” she said. “You’re short for a man.” Peter almost laughed, smiling faintly.

“Guess not,” he said. He took a seat, crossing his legs and gesturing for the little girl to sit across from him. She plopped down, mirroring his position, inexplicably trusting him already. “So, Gamora, how did you get here?” he asked, curiously. “And do you know where here is?”

Gamora hesitated a few moments before she spoke. “I died,” she said. “I died and then I ended up here.” That seemed to line up with what had happened to the rest of them. They had all died and then here they were. But as for where? She spoke again soon after. “Titan,” She said. “We’re on Titan.”

Wanda huffed behind them, crossing her arms. The noise drew Peter’s attention backwards. “Like that helps,” she said. “It will be easy to be rid of her if she does not tell us something we don’t already know.” Peter sighed slightly, shaking his head.

“She’s a kid,” he said. “C’mon, give her a break. Maybe she doesn’t know anything else.” He looked back to the little girl who had her eyes fixed on him. “Do you know anything else?”

After a few moments, she nodded. “It’s Titan at different times,” she said. “Here is now. But where I came from is the past. When it was good.”

That certainly wasn’t cryptic in the slightest, but it was definitely more than they knew before. “Could you take us there, me and my friends?” Peter asked. “To the past?” Gamora had opened her mouth to speak when Wanda interrupted.

“What if your friends do not want to go?” she said. “There can be nothing good there, the place where he came from.” Vision touched her shoulder gently and she instantly turned towards the android.

“There is nothing good here,” he pointed out gently. “We cannot simply wait here. We must do something. Perhaps she can show us something that may help us.” Wanda deflated, her anger melting away at his soft words. Peter didn’t blame her for being angry. She had a right to be. Terrible things had happened. And he didn’t really blame the other Peter, either. If he found out someone he was very close to had been killed, he would be angry, too.

“I suppose,” she said begrudgingly. “Let the girl take us.”

Peter turned to her again, rising to his feet and holding out his hand. “Will you?” he said. She smiled shyly and took his hand, letting him help her to her feet.

“Okay,” she said. “You can meet my kitty when we get there.”


	3. INTERLUDE I

Peter wonders about Tony Stark while they walk.

He hopes Mr. Stark is okay. Everyone else had dissolved before he did. If Mr. Stark was going to die, he likely would have before Peter. He really, really hopes that Mr. Stark is okay. He knows that he has a fiancée waiting for him back on Earth. He knows he has Happy, if Happy is still alive. He has a company, a team. People who trust him and count on him. People who need him.

Who does Peter have? He has Aunt May. And Ned, of course. His best friend. Sometimes he thinks he has Tony Stark. They’re not exactly friends but they’re something. But who’s counting on Peter? Who needs him? He falters pondering that. He thinks, for one fleeting moment, that he’s glad he died and Mr. Stark didn’t. If anyone could help fix this, it was Tony Stark. What could Peter do? He is just a kid. Just a kid.

He wonders about Aunt May, too. How long did it take her to realize that he wasn’t coming back? Did she survive the genocide at Thanos’ hands? He hopes she did. Selfishly, he thinks he couldn’t bear to lose someone else. He already lost his parents. He didn’t want to lose Mr. Stark and Aunt May. He wonders what Mr. Stark would say to her when he got back to Earth because surely he was getting back to Earth. He has to. He hopes Aunt May isn’t too angry with Mr. Stark. It wasn’t his fault. He tried to get Peter to go home. It is Peter’s fault that he stayed.

It is always Peter’s fault.

—-

Wanda thinks about Vision while they walk.

She glances beside her, finding him next to her and breathing a quiet sigh of relief. She needs to make sure he is still there as often as she can. If she doesn’t, perhaps he will disappear, be torn from her again.

It isn’t fair, she thinks, what happened to him. Vision is a good man, the best man she has ever known. He looks different and he acts different and he talks different than anyone he has ever known. He is different, but it isn’t a bad different.

He is an outsider looking in. He has no stake in humanity’s fate, yet… Yet he cares so deeply. He always has. Vision has no reason to care so deeply, but he does. Ever since she first knew him, when he was nothing more than a concept and a pipe dream they were so close to realizing, he was like that. He arrived in the world in a flutter of red and gold, looking in, and he decided that humanity was worth it. He saw the good, the bad, and everything in between. Yet… Yet he chose to help them. And he chooses them again and again and again.

Vision is good. He is too good. She doesn’t deserve him. The world doesn’t deserve him. He most certainly does not deserve Thanos.

Wanda doesn’t deserve him either, but she considers it a privilege to know him.

—-

Gamora remembers while they walk.

She remembers things that happen when she is a girl. Mostly she thinks about that knife. She doesn’t know why she fixates on that knife of all things, but she does. She remembers the exact way the light glitters off of the red jewel on He center, the way she balances it on her tiny finger.

She remembers things that happen when she is a lot bigger even though she doesn’t quite know how. She knows it’s her because she’s green and her hair still faded from dark to a purpleish-red and the man calls her Gamora. He’s funny, she knows that. He’s pale and scruffy and his dark hair is messy, but he’s laughing. She really likes the sound of his laugh. She likes true sound of his voice more. She likes dancing with him, she knows, even though she doesn’t exactly know what dancing is. All she knows is that when she thinks the word, she is happy. Very happy.

She wonders if the man is here on Titan and if he’ll teach her what dancing is. She wants to know why it makes her so happy. 


	4. PART III

Peter kept one hand on the little girl’s while they walked. Even though he was still just a kid himself, he wanted to protect her. He wanted to do for her what Mr. Stark had done for him. His chest tightened at the thought of Mr. Stark. He hoped he was doing okay back on the real Titan. He hoped he wasn’t alone. Tony Stark was the kind of person who really did not need to be alone. He shook his head, trying to shake off those thoughts. He needed to focus on what was happening now. He needed to focus on what was here, not what was there. And what was here was him, Vision, Wanda, and the little girl holding his hand.  

He looked down at Gamora, who was walking beside him, humming a song he didn’t know quietly and swinging their joined hands slightly. “So, how far is the past?” he asked curiously.  

Gamora kicked a rock as Peter spoke, watching it go sailing across the surface of the planet before it bounced away out of their sight. When it was gone, she spoke again. “And my kitty.”  

“Yeah, and your kitty,” Peter said. He was really curious about this cat she kept mentioning. She seemed rather fond of him.  

“It’s not too far,” she said. “Just a little ways more.” She looked back at Vision and Wanda for a moment, watching Wanda hold Vision’s hand. “Does she love him?” she asked, releasing Peter’s hand to go a few steps away to kick another rock back in Peter’s direction. Peter kicked it diagonally back towards her, smiling faintly as she ran up to it.  

“I think so,” he said, glancing back. Their heads were together and they were talking quietly, something Peter couldn’t hear from this far away. “I think she would do anything to stay with him.” 

“Do you love anybody?” she asked, kicking the rock back towards him. He jogged forward, following it with his eyes so he wouldn’t lose it. He needed to think about that one. He could say truthfully that he loved his aunt May and his uncle Ben. Need was his best friend, so he would say he loved him. But he didn't think he loved anyone like the kind of love Gamora meant. He kicked it in her direction, thinking about his answer. He didn’t love anyone, not like Wanda and Vision loved each other, not like Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts.  

"I don't think so," he said finally. "Do you?" 

With a not-so-well-placed kick, the rock went soaring over Gamora's head. He swore, but she didn't seem too upset. Instead, she went scouting for another one, sending it back towards Peter whose walk had slowed considerably so he could wait for her. "I think so," she said, smiling faintly at some sort of memory Peter could only guess at. She started humming another song, one he could place in the 80s but couldn't come up with a name for. "I remember his name. He taught me how to dance." She paused, swaying slightly like she was dancing with an invisible partner. "I kind of remember how to do it." Peter smiled at the carefree way she swayed back and forth, like someone who had an idea of what dancing was but didn't have the specifics.  

"Maybe I can help you," Peter said. "I've seen a lot of movies." She smiled brightly at him, hurrying over and looking him up and down.  

"You're not as tall as him," she said, crossing her arms.  

"And you're not as tall as me," Peter replied, sticking his tongue out at her, happy that it had drawn out a laugh. "Stand on my feet. That'll make it easier." Peter held his hand out, smiling as she took it. She stood on his toes, wobbling slightly. He put a hand on her arm to steady her before taking her hand. “Do you know any songs or am I gonna have to sing?” 

Gamora thought for a moment or two before she spoke. “I think I know one song,” she said. “Part of it. I can sing a little bit of it.” Peter smiled again, opening his mouth to speak again when Wanda spoke.  

“Why are you dancing here?” she asked, crossing her arms and watching the two of them. “This is a terrible place and only terrible things have happened here. It is no place for…” Wanda hesitated, her brow furrowing. “It is no place for things like this.”  

Peter shrugged slightly. “Sometimes you have to keep your spirits up,” he said, trying to smile. It didn’t work too well. She was right. Only terrible things had happened on Titan, only horrible things. Whenever Peter really thought about where they were… He wasn’t too happy about it, either. But he felt a desire to protect Gamora even though they just met and he wasn’t much older than her. He wanted her to be happy. He wanted her to be safe and not need to worry about where they were. “If we don’t… I know it’s hard, but if we don’t…”  

“Thanos wins,” Vision chimed in solemnly. Peter blinked suddenly, glancing over at Vision. He had almost forgotten that Vision was there at all. It seemed when he wasn’t speaking that he disappeared entirely. Maybe he just wasn’t a very loud person. “If we give up, Thanos wins.” Wanda hesitated, frowning and crossing her arms. She opened her mouth to speak but looked at Vision and changed her mind. Her expression changed when she looked at her boyfriend, or her whatever he was. She looked sad. 

“Dance, then, I suppose,” she said. “Have your fun.” 

Peter turned back towards the little girl standing on his feet. She was standing on the tops of his feet on the tips of her toes, like a little bird about to take flight. “Can I sing my song now?” she asked. “Will you show me how to dance again?” 

“Of course,” Peter said, smiling. “Now, I’m not that great a dancer, but I can try. You ready?” Gamora bobbed her head, her braids bouncing up and down as she smiled at him. She started humming, her singing voice soft when it came forth a few moments later.  

“But then I fooled around and fell in love,” she sang. As she started singing, Peter started moving to the beat of the music. It wasn’t a typical waltz piece, but to be fair, the waltz was the only dance Peter knew. He was sure he could be forgiven for that transgression under the circumstances. “I fooled around and fell in love,” she sang again as they swung around in a slow, lopsided box step. Aunt May had taught him how to do it right before his homecoming dance, a step he’d never been able to actually use. “I fooled around and fell in love… I fooled around and fell in love.” 

Gamora stopped singing, blinking up at him. “Your dancing is different than my Peter’s dancing,” she said. “He does more with his hips.” She stepped down from his feet, humming as she took his head again, leading him off towards the direction they’d been heading in. Blinking in confusion at the statement, he looked behind him to make sure Wanda and Vision were following. Hand in hand, they were, even if Wanda looked a little apprehensive.  

“Your Peter?” he asked. “What do you mean your Peter?” Gamora hummed another few bars of the song as they walked. She stretched her arms out, walking heel to toe in as straight a line as she could manage. 

“The man who taught me how to dance,” she said. “Who taught me that song. His name was Peter, too. He’s bigger than you. But you’re a nice Peter, too.” Peter blinked again, gathering his thoughts. He knew he’d heard the name Gamora from somewhere.  

“Peter Quill?” he ventured. Gamora looked up at him, beaming. She had a tooth missing, he noticed.  

“Yes,” she said. “Peter Quill. I couldn’t remember his name at first. Thanos said he’s here somewhere but he won’t let me find him.” 

“I met your Peter,” Peter Parker said conversationally. Gamora dropped her walking in a straight line, opting for walking normally side-by-side with Peter.  

“Did you?” she asked. “What was he like?” 

That he wasn’t quite sure how to answer. He didn’t get to spend much time with Peter Quill. A lot of things had been happening and shockingly, they were all otherwise occupied. “I didn’t get to talk to him much,” Peter admitted. “But I did know he cared about you a lot.” That made Gamora smile a little. The one thing Peter didn’t get was why the girl Peter Quill seemed to love was, well, a little girl. But that was a problem to be worked out another time, a time when they weren't trapped on this terrible planet. 

The odd-looking foursome meandered along through the barren landscape of Titan for what seemed like forever but in reality probably wasn't that long. Time passed strangely in this place. It was fast and slow all at once. To top of the strangeness of the passage of time, Peter didn't feel tired at all. He didn't feel hungry, either, and he couldn't even remember the last time he'd needed to use the bathroom. But regardless of how long it did or did not take, they soon arrived at the place Gamora had called the past. 

Peter stopped at the crest of a hill, Gamora pausing beside him and taking his hand again. "This is it," she declared. "This is the past." Wanda and Vision joined them, holding hands like they always were and Vision stoically silent like he always was. It was oddly peaceful, especially considering the circumstances.  

"It is..." Wanda stopped short of finishing her sentence, shaking her head. It didn't matter because Peter knew what she was going to say. She was going to say that it was pretty, but she stopped herself short of complimenting the place where Thanos came from. Peter agreed.  

"My kitty should still be here," she said. "I promised him that I would come back after Thanos released me." Gamora tugged Peter's hand again, leading him down the hill. "Come on. He will be lonely that I've left him for so long. He doesn't like it when Thanos calls me."  

Peter let her lead him along, jogging down the hill next to her. Vision and Wanda followed at a more sedate speed, a few paces behind Peter and Gamora. He hoped they would get to wherever she was taking them soon. He was curious about this cat she kept mentioning. Was it really just a cat? Had Thanos' slaughter of half the universe applied to the animals, too? He spent one fleeting thought on the cat that lived in the bodega he had frequented before it caught on fire.  

The planet really was quite beautiful, but Peter would never say that. He wasn't as opposed to saying Thanos' name like Wanda was, believing firmly that fear of a name increased fear of the thing itself. But he wasn't about to go along complimenting him, either. He would never do that in a million years. "It your kitty close to here?" He asked curiously as they trod past a glittering blue pond rimmed by emerald green grasses. To think this beautiful place had turned to the place they had just come from...  

"He should be," Gamora said. "Next to the water." They moved right along but after a few steps, Peter paused and turned. He hadn't heard from Wanda and Vision in a while. When he turned, he spotted both of them next to the little pond. Wanda was crouched next to it, so close that the tips of her shoes almost touched the water. She was holding her knees, focusing intently on her reflection. 

"I look so different," she mused to herself. She reached out, dragging her fingers across the surface, ripples ruining her reflection. Wanda stood up, turning to look at Vision behind her. "You are different, too," she said, reaching up with the fingers that had water droplets running down them and touching his cheek lightly. "I cannot be with you there like I am here. It is a terrible place, but I can be with you here, Vizh." The android smiled sadly, cupping her own cheek in one of his hands. Wanda relaxed at the touch, her eyes shutting.  

"This is no life," he whispered, leaning close to her ear. Peter could barely make out what he had said. "This is no life, and you know it. You know I always wanted you to live." Wanda leaned forward, her hand falling as she rested her forehead against Vision's chest. Peter almost felt like he was intruding watching this interaction, but he couldn't bring himself to look away.  

"And I want you to live," she said, her voice breaking. "I cannot bring myself to live without you." Wanda took a deep, shuddering breath, her shoulders shaking as she threw her arms around Vision's and pulled herself closer. 

"Let's go," Peter murmured to Gamora who was transfixed watching the pair's conversation. "They'll catch up, I think." Gamora hummed and nodded, tearing her eyes away from them to start leading Peter in the direction they'd been walking.  

"Where's everyone else?" Peter asked. It seemed like a big planet, and if half of the universe was supposed to be here, where was everyone? Peter had encountered three people thus far. He was fairly certain half of the universe was more than three.  

"I don't know," Gamora said truthfully. "I only see a few people. I think there are more in other places. He puts us where he wants us to be, with who he wants us to see. I think he thinks it's funny. He gave me you instead of my Peter. He gave me the kitty because I was lonely. He put your friend here for a reason, too, I think. He's funny like that."  

Peter fell silent, trying to absorb what she had said. That made sense, that Thanos would have some control over whatever place this was, this twisted version of Titan. It seemed just like him to have that twisted sense of irony. He pulled a face, shaking his head. That was too much to unpack at the moment. He was about to speak again when Gamora lifted a finger and pointed to a sparse pocket of trees a few yards away. "There," she said. She released Peter's hand and started jogging towards the trees. He followed, keeping close behind her.  

"Kitty!" She cried. The branches parted and a tall, dark-skinned man in a black and silver suit emerged. 

"My omncinci," he said, his voice low as she launched herself into his arms. "You were away a long time..." He took a step back because of the force of her leap, smiling. Peter frowned, trying to place where he had seen this man before. He looked very familiar. Peter had definitely seen him before...  

The man finally put down Gamora, who hugged his leg and smiled. It was then, able to see him entirely, that Peter remembered where he'd seen him. It was in Germany when he was fighting against him. "King T'Challa," he said, dipping his head in greeting. "I remember you. You are the boy with the spider costume." 

Peter swallowed, nodding nervously. "I remember you," he squeaked nervously. He was meeting a king. He was meeting a king, really meeting him, and he'd called him  _kitty._  


End file.
